Dried Cranberry Cheesecake

Delicious Dried Cranberry Cheesecake Recipe

About This Healthy Cheesecake Recipe

This is a great cheesecake recipe to use when you are expecting company, planning a dinner party or want a healthy dessert  to keep that the kids will love. The nutrition that cranberries give this healthy dessert can be further increased by making the custom Grahams cracker pie shells (how to instructions and ingredients list here), or shop bought ones work perfectly well, or another option is to make a standard biscuit base.

Nutrients & Antioxidants Cranberries & Lemons Provide

This healthy cranberry cheesecake recipe has two ingredients that offer valuable nutrition and antioxidants, dried cranberries and lemons. Cranberries contain an abundance of antioxidants; these antioxidants help prevent certain strains of cancer and strengthen the bodies immune system by reducing the levels of 'free radicals' in the blood.

Health Benefits of Cranberries

The nutrients and antioxidants in cranberries can lower blood pressure and decrease the chance of urinary tract infections, cranberry juice actively fights the bacteria that can build up in the urinary tract and cause infections.

Cranberries contain the flavonoid quercetin, which is individually accredited with inhibiting the development of colon and breast cancer.

Cranberries have been used for hundreds of years as both food and medicine by numerous cultures to fight bacteria and avoid scurvy. The fruit contains a large amount of vitamin C, this keeps the immune system healthy and prevents minor illness such as colds and flu, as well as fighting bacteria throughout the digestive system.

Cranberries are high in fibre, this lowers blood pressure and cholesterol levels. They have also been accredited with inducing weight loss by stimulating the body to burn stored fat. Cranberries are also high in vitamin E and K, which improves the overall immune system and has anti-inflammatory properties.

The recipe below has 3 cups of cranberries, which will give 15 grammes of fibre, 24 milligrammes of calcium, and 42 grammes of vitamin C, and it's delicious!

The Benefits of Eating Lemons

Most are aware of the beneficial effects of eating lemons, they are packed with vitamin C and antioxidants; this is why they are used to advertise nearly every cough and cold medicine for sale Over The Counter (OTC).

Lemons contain significant amounts of antioxidants such as flavonol glycosides, which as well as giving the immune system a short-term boost to overcome seasonal coughs and colds, they have also been shown to prevent cell division in certain types of cancers.

Lemons Boost The Immune System

The vitamin C contained in lemons boosts the body's immune system and prevents atherosclerosis (a buildup of fat in arterial walls), and diabetic heart disease. Studies have also shown that limonin, an element present in citrus fruit, is quickly absorbed into the body, preventing mouth, skin, lung, breast, stomach, and colon cancer. Lemons help to avoid rheumatoid arthritis amongst a whole range of other ailments and illnesses.

This cheesecake recipe is perfect for the winter months, it provides much need nutrition and will slip past the picky eaters with so much as a murmur.

Dried Cranberry Lemon Cheesecake Ingredients List

Ingredients:

1. 1 1/2 cups sugar
2. 1/2 cup cornstarch
3. 2 1/2 pounds cream cheese
4. 5 eggs
5. 1/2 ounce vanilla extract
6. 1/4 ounce lemon extract
7. 1 tablespoon lemon zest
8. 3 cups dried cranberries plumped in 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, drained
9. 3 9 inch graham cracker pie shells, see recipe below

How To Make Cheesecake

This delicious, healthy cheesecake is relatively straightforward to make, so please don't feel intimidated. Many of the ingredients are substitutable if you have any concerns, please contact us.

1. Allow cream cheese to soften to room temperature by unwrapping and placing in a stainless steel bowl covered with plastic wrap for 3-4 hours or until soft.
2. Sift together the sugar and cornstarch.
3. Cream together the sugar mixture and the cream cheese in the bowl of an electric mixer. Using the paddle attachment, beat on medium speed until smooth.
4. Combine eggs, vanilla, lemon extract, and lemon zest and add one-fourth of the mixture at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition.
5. Place 1/2 cup of dried cranberries in the bottom of each pie shell and pour 2 1/2 cups of batter into each shell, top each pie with 1/2 cup of dried cranberries and bake in a conventional 300°F oven (convection @ 250°F)for 50-60 minutes or until cheesecake is set. During the cooking process, the dried cranberries may come to the surface of the cheesecake due to uneven oven temperature. If this is undesirable, press the surface of the cake with an offset spatula just after removing the cheesecake from the oven, this will submerge the dried cranberries.
6. Refrigerate overnight.
7. Serve by slicing into appropriate sized pieces and garnish with cranberry sauce.

How To Make Graham Cracker Pie Shells

This recipe makes 3 9" Graham cracker pie shells, it is possible to use any pie casing with the above recipe, pre-made bought one work fine.

Pie Shell Ingredients

1. 4 1/2 cups finely ground graham cracker crumbs
2. 1 cup white sugar
3. 18 tablespoons of butter, melted.

How To Make Graham Cracker Pie Shells

1. Mix crushed graham crackers, sugar, and melted butter until well combined.
2. Distribute mixture evenly into 3 9" pie plates. Press mixture into each plate.
3. Bake pie shells in a conventional 375° oven for 5-7 minutes. Allow to cool.